Hand-operated tape-moistener.



c.'H. CROWELL.

HAND OPERATED TAPE MOISTENER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 4. I-9I7.

Patented Oct. 30, 19T?.

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Twill whom tmay concern.: A

Be itlknown that I, CHARLES' H. CRO'WLL, a citizen of the kUnited. States, andresident of the borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, city and State of New York, have ina-de a certain new and useful Invention Relate ing to Hand-Operated 'IapeMoisteners'of which the following isa specification, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, which forms part ofthe same.

i This invention relatesespecially totape moistening machines from which1 the. strip rof gummed tape is adapted toibe with@v drawn and simultaneously moist-cned, `the operator placing his fingers on thetape and thereby advancing it along the feed plate so that its end projects sufficiently to be grasped by the operator' and withdrawn while being Y Then held in contact with a moistener. when sufficient tape -has been withdrawn from the' exposed tape .roll/or preferably from thek scaled tape package used, the length of tape Vmay be conveniently severed by swinging it upward into engagement with a cutter of theostationary type which may, if desired, be allowed a limited swinging movement so that kwhen severing a strip of tape its rear end may swing down into` locking position to prevent further forward movement. The machine may also embody interchangeable spring box holding members which may be interchangeablyr supported or heldin the base of the machine so as to yieldingly support a sealed package containing a rollof tape in vproper coperation with .the feeding7 severing and moistening devices of themacliine. The inoistener may with advantage comprise a reversible moistenci' carrierblock of wood or other suit!v able material in which capillary supply slots may be formed adgacent one or more of vits vertical sides to carry water up to the top of the block and inoistener :which may be of fabric in belt form substantially inclosing the block.

:inthe accompanying drawing showing in a somewhat diagrammatic Iway illustrative embodiments of the invention,

VFigure l is a vertical section takeiisubtially along `the line l-l of Fig.' 2.

` FigQQ isa horizontal.section the lineQ-Q ofk Fig. l.

Fig. I3 is a partialiear elevation showing the box holding member.

Fig.- 4 is a perspective view thereof.

'- Specification of Lettersatent.; f

taken along AND-PEBATED-TAP-MOISTENER; j Y

rented oct-30, 191 7;

' Fig. 5 isa partial' transverse'section taken substantially lalong'the line 5%-5 of F ig.l l1.; j

ig.6 is a` perspective view of thev moistenercarrier block; and y l l Fig. 7 san enlarged'transverse section through a portion ofthe feed'plate, y, f. Themachiiie may with Vadvantage have a base'V 1li of rather heavy slie'etmetalhaviiig its'forward .portion bent'upwardso Aastey substantially .inclose y,the waterA tank on b oth sides, 'while, if desired, 4thefrear por# tion of the base maybe bentupward to form sides v19 aiid slightly` approaching lips 18 to assist. iiisupporting thetape roll which may be held in longitudinal alinement by kthe'iipstanding lug 38y also rvpositioning the vWater tank 3 7, as'sliown in Fig. l.A This 4water tank of any'suitable construction andina# terial 'may rest upon'` the base below the feed plate 2O which may extend over this part of the machine while leaving anwopeniiig at the front ofthe water tankthrough which' the nioistener may project.y *l 'i AAs indicated in Fig. l themoistener may a series of rnarrow capillary supply slots,

such as 42,k onone or more of its vertical faces, these slots preferably extending upward in a 4slightly diagonal direction on both the frontl and ,rearvfacesfof'thel block` with which theV moisteiiery 'engages'. By making these slot-s a 64th of aiiinch orless in width tlieyfvseri'fe to freely carry the water upto thek top oftliel nioistener by capillary action andtliis is promoted by formingone or rmore recesses 4:2V in these facesy of the blockf It is desirable to have the moistener andblock vertically reversiblefso that the exposed portion canV be turned down occasionally and kept below the waterlin'ein the tank which softens `or removes any accumulations vof gum that mayadli'ere thereto. This may be convei'iiently effected byliaving suitable supporting and holding A devices to rh ol d iilo fio

and kept from warping undesirably by orcing transversely through thefl same one orY more stiii' supporting tubes, such as 33, 35,

which it tightlyin ,holes in the block andhave ends preferably projecting beyond the block so as to engage suitable supports therefor, such as the supporting yoke 36, which may be secured to the water tank as indicated in Figs. 1, 2 and. -A suitable holding pin, such as 34, may pass through the upper supportingtube` and through holes in the sides of the frame or base member so as to positively hold the moistener in proper vertical alinement with respect to the feed plate QOand 'also to prevent its longitudinal movement while by taking hold of the head 43 of the pin 'and removing 'it the moistener i's'instantly `released for cleaning or readjust'rnent and its removal makes it possible to 'withdraw the water tank 37 and renew the-supply or water or other moistening liquid 39 therein. y

The supp'ly'of'gummed tape `may besupported in any suitable Vway 'adjacent the feeding and moistenin'g devices, the ordinary rolls or' gummed tape being readily supported'on the base in any ywell-known manner. Ii desired, however, a substantially sealed package vof'gummed tape may be mounted on the machine so that the strip of tape maybe withdrawn from the package while itis maintained in substantially sealed condition so that the'ta'pe is protected from undesirable hygroscopic or other atmospheric influences which'seriously affect the moisture absorbent gum coatings'which must beA used tosecure the most desirable quick moistening and adhesive properties, Such a sealed packagel of gummed tape 1s shown 1n the drawings as comprising a roll 1 of gummed tape or this character mounted so as to revolve on a suitable pintle or support 2 inclosed, if desired, by the cardboard or other spacer 3, and held in position by the fasteners o-r pins e passing through the sides 8 of the pasteboard box or o'th'ercsuitable box which have integral edge yflaps 6 bent down into substantial abutting position and joined together as by an adhesive `closing c strip 7 extending around the box and'hav- -drawn and used while it is protected by this of'gummedl tape issues from the box remains substantially closed so that moisture cannot undesirably act on the tape roll within and thusthe entire roll of tape may be With- 7 0 substantially sealed container and the adhesive, and other qualities of the tape can thus be maintained substantially constant during service. lVhen all the tape in such a package is used up the empty box may of course be removed from the'machine and a new sealed package of' tape of any suitable construction as it is shipped from the factory maybe putin place on the machine and u'sedfin' the same way.

The tape container may be readily secured in' position on the machine by resilient holding devices and an arrangement for this purpose which makes it possible to use tape packages ofdilerent widths on the machine vmay comprise'an interchangeable spring box holding member 15 ,shown in Figs. 3 and/t as 'adapted tol slip' longitudinally into the machine base 'at its rear end so as to be held in positionbythe upturned sides and lips 18 whilethespring sides and vlips 4S or this holding member'tend to yieldingly grip a tape package which is forced between them so' as to hold it firmly without injury or impairingits sealed condition. The spring lips eSmay, iridesired, be severed into a number of independent resilient members by` the slots 8S` andthese springloops may have inner downwardly extending portions 17 to grip the box throughout a considerable area along its sides. The'box may be held vertical in this way, and also, if desired, by suitable 'holding clips engaging its front eird,` this `clip device, it desired, being formed integral with the holding member as by being bent4 up from thesame strip of material soY as to form a front bracket 13 and' rearwardly extending resilient holdingclips 16. By making thesel holding members interchangeable theyk may be supplied 110 in such widths as will accommodate packages holding tape of three-fourths inch width or one andy one-half'inch width, for instance, or any intermediate or other sizes and this makes it unnecessary to have any 1'15 elaborate lateral Vadjustments Jfor the machine and vto contribute to its neat and compact appearance.

The strip 10 of gummed tape from the container may be red along the feed plate 20 120 in any suitable way, and may, if desired, extend beneath la suitablev aliningV member or clamping dog 24 having a` front edge in suchA positi'on'as to vfacilitate the proper engagement of the. tape by the operators 1'25 finger during' the feeding movement. This dei/'ice may, if desired, be pivotally mounted on the machine frame as by havingk its lips or side members 23 pivoted on the bar 4A mounted' in lugs 21 ofthe frame-which may 130 tions vor lines 40 extending inl the ldirection that the tape is fed Aalong the table, as shown in Fig. 2. By corrugating thisfplate and providing itjwith such` longitudinally extendingseparated ribs`suchk as 80, indi-y cated in` a somewhatlexa'ggerated manner in F ig. 7, the' feeding of theV tape is greatly facilitatedsince adhesion between the' tape and feed plate is minimized even after the machine has beenileft idle for considerable periods. Also when the Vtape is pressed down by the operatorsfinger and fed forward in this way these ribs tend to guide the tape straight forward along the feed plate so that it is much less likely to move transversely out of alinement.` The extent of forward movement allowed between the alining dijivice'Qiy andthe rear end 28 of the'cutter is preferably so arranged that theV tape'is fed forward through a distance suflicent-to leave itsA forward end projecting slightly beyond the front of the inoistener so that this forward end of the tape may. be readily engaged by the operators fingers and pressed downward onv'the moistener and simultaneously drawn forward to the extent desired. A

The lengths of moistened tapei'may be readily severed by any form of cutter, such, for example, as the stationary type cutter 29which may, if desired, have aserrated cutting edge so as to sever the lengths of gummed tape when thetape is swung upward against the cutter in the well known way. For some purposes it is desirable to have the forward end of the cutterproject upward slightly, as from the bend 81 therein so that during the severing operation the end of the gummed strip will'be bent upward sufficiently to remain in a somewhat upwardly bent condition so that this tape end 82 will ride up over-the moistener 32 more readily and certainlyywhen it is fed forward as above described.V It is desirable to have a suitable locking device in connection with` the cutter so as to prevent the tapeslipping while severance is taking place and this may be effected by giving the cutter a slight swiveling movement as by pivoting the ears 27 of the cutter on'the cutter barV 45 which may pass through the lugs 22 on the frame and; also throughl the Vlugs 46 'on the feed plate so as to support its forward end. Thus every time al strip of tape issevered on' the cutter'its forward yend fis swung upward slightly and 'its rear end 28 is swung downward to 'form a'cutterlockengaging the tapestrip to practically prevent its forward movement so long as the cutter is being held upward at itsfront end by 'the'tape This invention has been describedin connection with la' number of illustrative embodiments, forms, arrangements, proportions, parts, materials, constructions, and

methods of use, kto kthe detailsofwhichfdisclosure the invention yis not of course tofbe' limited, 'since what is claimed as new* vand what is .desired to be secured by `Letters Patent is set forthk in the appended claims.

1. In tape moisteners, a sheet metal frame having sides bent upr at the forward portion of the machine to inclose a water tank and having rear bent up sidesand inwardly projecting lips, a removable water tank, a feed plate secured to said-frame above said water tank and havinglongitudinally' ex# tending corrugatioiisto facilitate manual finger feeding movement of gummed tape over said plate, a* reversible moistener mounted in said tank with its upper exposed portionssubstantially in rline with said feed plate, a serrated cutter movably VKmounted above said feed plate adjacent saidmoistener and having a cutter lock to engage and hold the gummed strip during severing vmove-` ment, an alining spring. clamping member adjacent the rear of saidfeed plate, [anliiiterchangeable spring holding 'member removably engaging the rear of ysaid frame and having inwardly extendings'pi'ing lips to engage a taper package and va f sealed cntainer mounted in said holding meinberand inclosing and protecting a roll of'gummed tape, the end of ysaid tape extending through a substantially closed delivery opening yin said container'to be moistened andl severed.

` 2. In tape moisteners, asheet metal frame having sides bent up'at the forward por-y tion of the machine `to inclose a water tank and having inwardlyprojectingiips,` a re,- movable water tank,` a` feed plate secured to said frame above 'said water jtankf and having longitudinally extending corruga! tions" to facilitate manual finger feeding movement of gummed tape over said plate, a moistener mounted in said tank with its upper exposed fportions substantially in` line" with said feed plate, a cutterinovably mounted above said feed plate adjacentsaid nioistenei` V'and having a cutterlock to en-r gage and hold the gummed strip during severing movement, andfan interchangeable spring holding member removablyengagingy able'watery tank, afeed plate secured to ,said frame above said water tank and having longitudinally extending corrugations to facilitate manual fingerA feeding movement of gummed tape ,over said plate,y a moistener mounted in said tank with its upper exposed portions substantially in line `with said feed plate,va Icuttermounted adjacent said 'mo1stener and having a cutter lock to engage and hold the glimmer strip during severing movement, and a spring holding member engaging the rear of said frame and having inwardly'extending spring lips to engage a tape package. v l,

4. In tape moisteners, a sheet metal frame having sides bent up at the forward por-y tion of the machine to inclose a water tank and having rear bent up sides and inwardly projecting lips, a removablewater t`ank,'a feed plate secured to said frame above said water tank, a moistener mounted in said tank with its'upper exposedportions substantially in line with said feed plate, a staj tionary type'serrated cutter mounted above said feed plate adjacent said moistener, an interchangeable spring holding member removably engaging said lips at the rearl of said frame and having inwardly extending spring lips to engage a sealed tape package and havingl `a front bracketv and holding clamps to vembrace the front of saidV package and a sealed container mounted in saidholding member and inclosing andprotecting a roll of gummed tape. Y

5. In tape moisteners, a sheet metal frame having rear bent up sides and inwardly pro-l jecting'lips, tape moistening and severing devices mounted on the forward portion of said frame, an interchangeablespring hold-v ing member removably engaging said lips at the rear yof said frame and having inwardly extending spring lips to engage a sealed tape packagel and f having a front bracket and holding clamps to embrace the frontof said package and asealed container mounted in said holdingl member and inclosing and protecting a roll of gummed tape.

G. In tape moisteners, a frame having bent up sides and inwardly projecting lips, tape'moistening and severing devices mounted on said frame, an interchangeable springl holding member yremovably engaging said lips and having inwardly extending spring lips to engage a tape package-and having a front bracket and holding clamps to em)-l brace the front of said package. y

7. In tape moisteners, a V,frame having bentV up sides and inwardly vprojecting lips, tape moistening and severing devices mount, edon said frame, an interchangeable spring holding member removably engaging, said lips Aand .having inwardly extending spring lips adapted to engagea supply of gummed tape. y y

' 8; The'tapemoistener comprising a frame having sides to inclose a water tank, a removable water tank` supported byy lsaid ame, a fabric rcovered reversible moistener having a wood carrier block vertically mounted in said'tank, said carrier block being arranged with a grain of the wood substantiallyvertical and being provided `with capillary supply slots in the faces adjacent the fabric covering vertically separated j stiening supporting tubes embedded in said block and having projecting ends, supporting yokes in said water tank to support and aline the'lower supportingtube and a holding pin-extending through the upper supporting Atube to removably hold said mois- .supporting tubes to removably hold said moistener' and water tank in said frame. y

l0. The tape moistener comprising a frame having sides to inclose a water tank, a removable water tank supported by lsaid frame, av covered reversible moistener having a carrier block mounted in said tank, said carrier block being provided with capil-v lary supply slots in the faces adjacentA the covering, supporting tubes embedded infsaid block and supporting and holding devices cooperating with said supportingtubes to removablyf'hold said moistener and water tank in said frame..

y' 1l. The tape moistener comprising aframe having sides to inclose a watertank, are# movable vwater tank supported by said frame,a covered reversible moistener having a carrier block mounted in said tank, said carrier block being provided with capillary ksupply passages in the faces adjacent the covering, supporting tubes embeddedin said block and supporting and holding devices cooperating with said supporting members to removably hold said moistener.

12.),In tape moisteners,a reinovable water tank, a feed plate abovesaid water tank andy having longitudinally extending `closely spaced yseparate ribs to facilitate linger feed ingmovement of gummed tape strip along said feed plate, a reversible moistener mounted in said tank with its upper exposed portions substantially in line with the ribbedsurface of said feed plate, a stationary typeV serratedcutter mounted above said feed plate adjacent said moistener and having an upwardly. bent portion adjacent itsl severing edgeto bend up lthe end of the gummed Astrip during severing movement and an alinbend up the end of the gummed strip during severing movement and an alining member adjacent the rear of said feed plate to regulate the initial forward movement of the gummed strip.

lll. In tape moisteners, a water tank, a feed plate having longitudinally extending separate ribs to facilitate finger feeding movement of gummed tape strip along said feed plate, a moistener mounted in said. tank with its upper exposed portions substair tially in line with the ribbed surface of said feed plate, a stationary type cutter mounted above said feed plate adjacent said moistener and means to bend up the end of the gummed strip during severing movement.

15. In tape moisteners, a water tank, a feed plate to allow manual feeding movement of gummed tape strip along said feed plate, a moistener mounted in said tank with its upper exposed portions substantially in line with the surface of said feed plate, a cutter mounted adjacent said moistener and means to bend up the end of the gummed strip during severing movement.

16. In tape moisteners, a water tank, a feed plate having a corrugated Lipper surface to facilitate finger feeding movement of gummed tape strip along said feed plate,

a cooperating moistener mounted in said tank and a stationary cutter mounted adjacent said moistener.

17. In tape moisteners, a water tank, a feed plate formed` with separated supporting projections to allow manual feeding movement of gummed tape strip along said feed plate and minimize contact with the gummed tape, a moistener mounted infsaid tank with its upper exposed portions substantially in line with the surface of said feed plate, a cutter mountedv adjacent ysaid moistener and means to bend up the end of the gummed ystrip during severing movement. y

18. In tape moisteners, a feed plate to guide a gummed tape strip in its movement toward` a moistener, a moistener with a substantially flat active moistening surface arranged substantially in line with the surface of said feed plate, a stationary cutter mounted adjacent said moistener and formed with means acting. during severance of a strip section to bend back away from said moistener the extreme end of the remaining gummed strip to facilitate its subsequent movement over said moistener.

19. In tape moisteners, means by which the end of a gummed tape strip maybe pushed forward and guided in its movement toward a moistener, a moistener mounted with its active moistening surface substantially inV line with the path of said gummed tape strip, a cutter adjacent said moistener and means cooperating with said cutter to bend back the tip of the remaining end of said gumined tape strip away from said moistener during the severing of a strip section so that said tip remains bent back and can ride over the moistener.

VCHARLES H. CROWELL. lVitnesses:

, J. HENTER, M. BETTEX.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C. 

